Game Notes (PDF) I Video I Audio I Stats Portland Pilots (9-11, 3-4) at Pacific Tigers (5-12, 3-4)Date: Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Stockton, Calif.
Arena: Spanos Center (6,150)
Video: TheW.tv
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT)
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Portland vs. Pacific All-Time SeriesOverall: 10-22
At POR: 7-6
At PAC: 2-16
Neutral: 1-0
Last 1: PAC 79, POR 77 (Feb. 21, 2015 at Pacific)
COMING UP• Portland hopes to carry the momentum from Saturday's 84-81 win over BYU on the road as the Pilots travel to face Pacific on Thursday and Saint Mary's on Saturday.
• Thursday's game in Stockton, Calif. will tip-off at 7 p.m., while Saturday's game against the WCC co-leading Gaels in Moraga, Calif. will be an 8 p.m. tip-off.
GAME COVERAGE• Thursday's contest will be broadcast live on TheW.tv will Ray Crawford and Jordan Cornette on the call. Saturday's game is being televised live on ROOT Sports Northwest, ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. Glen Kuiper and Dan Belluomini will provide the commentary. Saturday's contest will also be streamed live on TheW.tv for out of region viewers.
• All Pilot games are on the radio on the home of the Pilots, 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT) with a 30-minute pregame show and Jason Swygard calling the action. Online audio and live stats will be available at PortlandPilots.com.
ABOUT THE PILOTS • The Pilots (9-11, 3-4 WCC) snapped a four-game losing streak and moved into a tie with Pacific for fifth place in the WCC standings with an 84-81 upset of the BYU Cougars before a sold out Chiles Center crowd on Saturday afternoon.
• BYU entered on a high after defeating a ranked Gonzaga team in Spokane two days earlier, while Portland had struggled to a 82-71 loss to San Diego on Thursday.
• The Pilots came out firing early and led by 13 points in the first half, but BYU was able to take a five-point lead late in the second half. Portland answered behind great guard play as Alec Wintering (22 points), Bryce Pressley (21 points) and D'Marques Tyson (21 points) came through time and again with big plays.
• It marked just the second win in 15 games against BYU for the Pilots.
• Previously, the Pilots allowed San Diego to shoot a season-high 60 percent from the field in a tough loss to the Toreros. Wintering scored a team-high 23 points, but struggled to 5-of-15 shooting from the field. Pressley added 20 points in the loss.
• Wintering earlier became the first player in Portland history with consecutive 30-point games. He finished with 31 points at San Francisco, including 15-of-15 at the foul line. He was previously named the WCC Player of the Week after dropping a career-high 34 against Pepperdine on Dec. 23.
• Wintering, a three-year starter and Preseason All-WCC selection, is averaging a team-best 18.1 points and is second in the WCC in steals (1.7) and ranks fifth in assists (5.6). His 23.0 points per game in WCC play ranks second to Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer.
• Portland ranks 23rd nationally in three-pointers made per game (9.5). The Pilots lead the WCC steals (7.7) and rank second in three-pointers made and turnover margin (+2.3).
• Portland is attempting 25.6 three-pointers per game, including 40 against Colorado State. That broke the previous Pilot single-game record of 34 attempts.
• Portland has played up-tempo with a lot of new faces on the roster. The team attempted 80 field goals against UC Davis, the most since the team hoisted 84 on Nov. 25, 2001 against Duke.
• Coach Eric Reveno has a deep bench with 11 players averaging nine or more minutes.
• Pressley, also a three-year starter, is averaging a career-best 14.6 points per game, including 30 in the season opener versus Oregon Tech. Pressley is third in the WCC in three-pointers made per game (2.5) and 10th in percentage (.420).
• Reveno returns seven lettermen from a 2014-15 squad that finished 17-16 overall and earned an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
• The Pilots were picked fifth in the West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
ABOUT PACIFIC• The Tigers (5-12, 3-4 WCC) have league wins over San Diego, Santa Clara and LMU. Last week Pacific dropped a 78-62 decision at Saint Mary's before routing Bethesda, 88-30.
• Pacific and Portland had two common non-conference opponents as the Tigers lost to Cal State Fullerton (77-76) and Sacramento State (79-71). Other notable losses came to Arizona, UC Irvine, Eastern Washington and Nevada in double overtime.
• The Tigers will be at full strength for the second game this season as senior F Eric Thompson was re-instated to the roster after being held out as part of a joint investigation into the program by Pacific and the NCAA. Alec Kobre rejoined the team in December and Sami Eleraky was activated on Jan. 2.
• As part of the investigation, Pacific suspended head coach Ron Verlin and assistant Dwight Young and announced self-imposed sanctions in December that included withholding the men's basketball team from post-season competition this season, which will include the West Coast Conference Tournament, and reducing the number of basketball scholarships by a total of six for a period of three years. Mike Burns is serving as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
• Portland and Pacific split last year's season series with each team winning at home. Pacific owns a 16-2 record against the Pilots all-time in Stockton.
BACKCOURT ERUPTS AGAINST BYU• Three Pilot guards combined to score 64 points in the win over BYU on Saturday.
• Alec Wintering and Bryce Pressley have led UP all season, but sophomore G D'Marques Tyson is also Portland's third leading scorer at 8.8 points per game.
• Each member of the trio eclipsed the 20-point mark Saturday and all made big plays throughout. Trail by five midway through the second half, each hit a three-pointer in succession to give Portland the lead that they would not relinquish.
WINTERING IS COMING• Earlier in WCC play Alec Wintering became the first Pilot with back-to-back 30-point games in school history.
• The Concord, N.C. native scored a career-high 34 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 23 to earn WCC Player of the Week honors. That was followed by erupting for 31 points, four rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers against San Francisco on Dec. 31.
• Wintering was a perfect 15-of-15 from the free throw line against USF, falling one short of the school record for free throws without a miss in a single game (Rick Raivio, 16-16, Jan. 5, 1980 vs. San Francisco).
• He is averaging 25.5 points over the last six games and has scored 20 or more points eight times this season.
• Wintering's 23.0 points per game in WCC play is second to only Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer.
• He is now just 25 points shy of 1,000 for his career and will become the 35th player in school history to accomplish the feat.
• Wintering already is No. 1 all-time in assists per game (5.3), No. 4 in three-point percentage (.417), No. 5 in total assists (421) and No. 8 in steals (126).
FREE THROW STRUGGLES SUBSIDE• Portland entered its Dec. 31 game at San Francisco shooting just 64.3 percent from the free throw line as a team.
• The Pilots made their first 17 attempts of the game and finished 25-of-28 overall. UP followed by making 22-of-28 against Santa Clara, 18-of-21 at Gonzaga, 19-of-25 versus San Diego and 18-of-22 against BYU.
• Alec Wintering, who was shooting a career-low 67 percent entering the USF game has now made all 51-of-his-last-54 attempts and now sits at 77.0 percent.
TYSON PROVIDES INSTANT OFFENSE• Sophomore G D'Marques Tyson has provided instant offense coming off the bench all season long. That continued when Tyson erupted for a season-high 21 points versus BYU on Saturday.
• He previously drilled all four of his first half three-point attempts at San Francisco and finished with 12 points.
• He finished with 12 points, including 3-of-5 from downtown, at Santa Clara.
• Tyson scored 12 first half points against UC Davis and then drilled four first-half three-pointers for 12 more two days later at Colorado.
• He buried four more first half threes in a route of Alcorn State at home as well.
• Tyson's 21.3 points per 40 minutes are second on the Pilot roster to Wintering (23.9).
LMU VICTORY LARGEST MARGIN SINCE 2010• Portland's 87-60 win over LMU Monday night was the largest margin of victory for the Pilots against a WCC opponent since a 79-39 defeat of LMU on Jan. 21, 2010.
• The Pilots trailed 19-11 early, but used a 23-0 run to take the lead and held the Lions without a field goal for 9:02 late in the first half.
FAMILIAR FACES ON THE BENCH• Head Coach Eric Reveno picked up a pair of his former players to join the coaching staff this offseason. Mitch Johnson, a former Stanford point guard, comes on as an assistant coach, while former Pilot center Kramer Knutson also joined the staff as director of basketball operations.
LATE GAME STRUGGLES• Portland has lost a few games this season with late-game struggles with its Bay Area road losses two weeks ago adding to the tally. Portland led by 15 late at San Francisco, but went scoreless over the final 3:40 as the Dons were able to pull away.
• Portland led 61-60 with 8:06 left at Santa Clara, but went just 2-for-14 from the field the rest of the game in the loss.
• The Pilots had two shots to win before the buzzer in an 80-79 loss to Southern Illinois at the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic, but both missed.
• Idaho State got a tip-in in the closing seconds for a 66-65 win over the Pilots, while Weber State hit contested three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, which they would go on to win by a 92-82 margin.
• Portland also was tied with Boise State with 5:15 remaining, but suffered a nearly four-minute scoring drought in the 81-71 loss.
PRESSLEY IMPRESSES• Senior G Bryce Pressley finished each of the last two seasons among the top five in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage and he ranks third in three-pointers made and 10th in percentage this season.
• Pressley opened the year with a career-high 30 points and eight three-pointers against Oregon Tech. He also scorched LMU with seven three-pointers and 25 points and followed with 15 points and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc against Pepperdine.
• The son of former Villanova NCAA Champion and NBA guard Harold Pressley, Bryce is closing in on 1,000 career points. He currently has 926 career points, but his value has been in his versatility.
• Pressley ranks fifth in UP history for three-point percentage (.414), seventh in three-pointers made (142), 12th in assists (281), 17th in career steals (104) and 19th in blocked shots (42).
A HIGH-SCORING AFFAIR• Portland's 62 first half points score against San Francisco is the highest scoring half against a Division I opponent in school history, matching the school record set against Southern Oregon on Dec. 9, 1995.
• The 107 points allowed against San Francisco are the most for Portland since giving up 110 in a 114-110 win over BYU in triple overtime on Jan. 13, 2014.
• It is the first 100-point game allowed in regulation since San Francisco beat the Pilots 104-70 on Jan. 12, 2012 and the most allowed in regulation since a 109-88 defeat by Pepperdine on Jan. 19, 2002.
JOHNSON BREAKS OUT• Freshman PG Jazz Johnson scored a season high 22 points against San Francisco, eclipsing his previous high of 14 scored against Oregon Tech in the season opener.
• He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 at the foul line for 14 first half points.
• Johnson was a high-scoring prep player out of Lake Oswego High School in Lake Oswego, Ore. He broke the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational tournament scoring record by averaging 35.0 points per game over four games.
1996 NCAA TOURNEY TEAM RETURNS• Portland's 1995-96 squad that won the WCC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament was back on campus last weekend celebrating its 20-year anniversary.
• The team finished 19-11 and defeated Gonzaga in the WCC Finals, avenging a loss to the Bulldogs in the 1995 tourney title game.
• The Pilots were bounced in the NCAA first round by nationally-ranked Villanova with star guard and future NBA standout, Kerry Kittles.
• Members of the team and support staff had a pregame luncheon and then were recognized during the first half on Saturday.
PILOTS REMEMBER LONGTIME RADIO ANNOUNCER, BILL JOHNSON • Bill Johnson, the radio play-by-play voice of the University of Portland's men's basketball program for 23 years, died of heart failure on Sunday, Nov. 29 at the age of 71.
• A memorial service in Bill's honor took place on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at the Chapel of Christ the Teacher on the UP campus. The entire Pilots team, coaching staff, school administrators, family and friends paid their respects.
• His distinguished broadcasting career spanned six decades and included various radio and TV positions in the Portland market. He served as the basketball play-by-play voice at various times throughout his career with the Oregon, Linfield, Lewis & Clark and Sonoma State. He also was with the Portland Trail Blazers from 1974-76. Johnson's football play-by-play experience included time with Oregon, Portland State and Lewis & Clark College and most recently with Linfield College.
• Johnson had three stints with the Pilots, first with the 1977-78 team and then a 16-year run from 1986-01 which included Portland's run to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. He re-joined the Pilots for the last six seasons.
PILOTS SIGN LOCAL CENTER TO NLI • Portland announced that 6-10 center Joseph Smoyer (Portland, Ore./Franklin HS) signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the Pilots next season.
• Smoyer has started for the Quakers each of the last three seasons earning All-Portland Interscholastic League First Team honors last season. He was honorable mention all-league in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
• Smoyer joins previous signee Alec Monson to comprise the Class of 2016. Monson signed in 2014 and will return from a two-year church mission next season.
• An elite student, Smoyer is currently the senior class President and has been admitted to the University of Portland Shiley School of Engineering.
PILOTS ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP WITH COMCAST SPORTSNET• Portland and Comcast SportsNet announced a partnership that will televise eight upcoming Pilot events, including the Jan. 28 men's basketball game versus San Francisco.
• Three women's basketball games and four baseball games will also be aired.
• This is in addition to the monthly 30-minute show, 'Portside with the Pilots' which showcases student-athlete profiles, alumni spotlights, top plays, and behind-the-scenes access to Pilot Athletics.
• All episodes are archived at YouTube.com/PortlandPilots.
PILOTS INK MULTI-YEAR DEAL WITH 910 ESPN-PORTLAND• Portland and Entercom Portland, LLC will continue their men's basketball partnership for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT). In addition to live coverage of all exhibition, regular season, and postseason games, a weekly one-hour Portland Pilots Basketball Show featuring head coach Eric Reveno will be produced every Monday night at 7 p.m. throughout the basketball season.
